Cloudy With A Chance Of Murder
by nicolaruth27
Summary: When a tornado touches down on a crime scene, damaging the evidence and revealing more secrets, Rizzoli and Isles suddenly find themselves in grave danger. Rizzles. Rated T for swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I wrote this because I came up with the title and couldn't let it go. I thought it'd be awesome to mix a freak, real-life, Boston ****weather phenomenon with a CSI-inspired case.**

**Alas, I found out afterwards, thanks to IMDB, that the title is also the name of a Castle episode, so no bonus points for originality there after all. Oh well. I hope you enjoy it anyway. ****I own no part of the characters or the show/s. This is just for fun.**

**Thank you to Orison for beta reading this one.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE<strong>

Sergeant Detective Vince Korsak hurried across the sidewalk towards the Crown Vic that was parked nearby with the engine running. Falling heavily into the passenger seat, he slammed the door closed, shutting out the violent weather that chased him. Shuddering, he felt goose pimples rise all over his skin as his body adjusted to the change in temperature. He swept bits of leaves and debris from his jacket and let out a huge sigh. "I don't think I've **ever** seen it this wild!"

Sitting in the driver's seat, Detective Barry Frost gave the older man a wry smirk, "Good thing we're getting out of here then, I'd hate for either one of us to get blown away." He put the car in drive and proceeded to pull away, eager for the calm and safety of the BPD headquarters building.

Korsak chuckled, knowing Frost was keen to get back; it had been evident in the way he had sprinted back to the car and left the older man behind. If only he was twenty years younger, he thought, he'd have sprinted, too. As it was, Korsak had been left to fend for himself, amidst a swirling sea of trash and other bits, picked up by winds unlike anything Boston had seen in many years. "You heard from Jane?" he asked.

Nodding, Barry explained, "Yeah, she's with the doc. They were on their way back from Saugus when another call came in so they're making a stop on the way. She said she didn't know how long it would take and that we should head back without them."

Korsak ducked his head and peered out of the windscreen, grimacing at the charcoal grey sky, "They'd better make it quick. This storm's getting worse by the second."

Unhappy at the day's turn of events, the younger man whined as they headed back towards Revere, "I hope they had better luck up there than we did in Winthrop. Kinda wish I hadn't gotten out of bed this morning y'know."

Korsak murmured his agreement; it was admittedly the perfect day for being tucked up behind his desk, catching up on paperwork, but Frost's version worked just fine, too. The wind had continued to pick up steadily and as Frost narrowly missed a trashcan that blew across the road in front of them, Korsak whistled in awe. "Would you take a look at **_that_**."

The billowing clouds ahead of them had morphed, sucked together into a tight swirl that grew downwards as they watched, stretching as far as they could see. Rotation was evident in the streaks of colour that twisted, bathing the formation with swathes of silver, ash, and dark slate; a spiral of fury in every shade of grey. Frost couldn't believe his eyes and gripped the steering wheel for dear life.

When lightning flashed the sky seemed almost black, highlighting the funnel even more in stark contrast, pointing a spotlight on the cone like a prima ballerina at centre stage.

They had turned at a junction and now seemed to be moving away from it, or the tornado was moving away from them, it was hard to tell without a sense of perspective; how big was it, how far away was it, how fast was it moving? Only the weather services would know.

Korsak flicked on the radio.

_"… __the tornado touched down just moments ago, crossing Revere Beach Parkway at Mill Creek…seems to be tracking due north at approximately 20 miles per hour…"_

He looked over to Frost with a frown, "Where did you say they were headed?"

Trying to remember the details Jane had rattled off in a hurry, Frost replied, "Um, over by Northgate Shopping Center. Grover Street, I think."

It only took a second for the older man to work out it's trajectory. With a quick intake of breath he gasped, "It's headed straight for 'em!"

Frost stared at the man with his mouth open. What could they do? They had to do something. He whipped the car around with barely any warning, and Korsak braced a hand against the glove box as the tyres squealed and the car banked hard on the suspension. "Hang on!"

Now trailing the destruction, a great cloud of dust obstructed their view of the streets ahead. Korsak took out his cellphone and tried to call Jane. Getting no reception he grumbled, "Damn it!" He looked back up from the screen, noted their location for a moment and then pointed violently ahead, "There, **_there_**, get on the highway, we'll try and get ahead of it." It made sense. Their average speed would be restricted on the smaller streets; too many corners to navigate, too many obstacles, too much debris. Driving at a higher speed on the highway seemed like the safer bet and maybe they could outrun it.

At the top of the ramp something large flew into their sights and slammed into the windscreen, splintering the glass and sending fracture lines across their field of vision.

Frost kept his foot on the gas but screeched at the top of his lungs as the powerful winds got worse and the howling noise got steadily louder. They were deliberately driving towards a tornado. "You know this is crazy, right?!"

There was no other traffic on the highway and Frost gunned the motor, the vehicle struggling against the wind's brute force, as debris continued to batter the outside of the car. The younger detective was scared out of his mind.

Soon they were level with the funnel on their left. The highway stretched northeast but then swept around to the west, and they raced against it to their destination. Battered by rain and hail, the car shook violently, swerving from lane to lane as Frost fought against bursts of power that threatened to throw them across the shoulder and into a ditch.

The men couldn't help but look at each other as they pressed onwards, their eyes betraying their fear, for their friends and for themselves. They'd passed the point of no return a couple of exits back and they knew it.

oOo

Detective Jane Rizzoli peeled away the police tape that had been tacked across the front door as Doctor Maura Isles stepped up behind her. With her wild, dark hair whipping around her face she turned to her colleague and gestured back towards the street with a huff, "Where's the goddamned patrol?!"

The blonde turned to look, too; with no officers in sight this was definitely a highly irregular situation, "I think we should just head back, Jane."

Turning back to the front door the brunette sighed; the risk increased the second they arrived to find the street deserted but her curiosity was already piqued. "Well we're here now, let's just check it out." She unholstered her service weapon and made a grab for the door handle.

With a sharp gasp, her eyes pointedly focused on the hand gun, the doctor gripped the woman's forearm, "I thought you said they already cleared the scene?"

"They did, but something obviously made them leave before we got here." She tried to reassure her friend that they weren't in any danger, "Maybe they got another call…" She chuckled, "… or maybe they freaked out about the weather." If that was the case she'd be having words with somebody's superior before the day was out; you didn't abandon a crime scene because it got a little bit windy for Christ's sake.

Frowning and pursing her lips, the blonde seemed suitably placated and as the detective disappeared into the dark house, she followed.

Even moving slowly, cautiously, avoiding blood drops on the floor and making sure no one else was in the single-storey house, it didn't take Jane long to discover the bloodied body of a young woman on the living room floor. She called to Maura who had waited patiently in the foyer as instructed, "In here."

The medical examiner strode delicately into the room, her glove-covered hands clutching her standard black kit bag, as the detective put away her gun and snapped on gloves of her own.

As the blonde squatted down to get a closer look, Jane tried the light switch on the wall with no result. "Power's off." They could see what they needed to, just, but it was difficult in the darkness that pervaded from outside.

The victim, still in her pajamas, had obvious stab wounds over her torso and the signs of a struggle were evident throughout the room.

Maura's practiced hands moved over the body, her eyes quickly assessing wounds, torn clothing, and bloodshot eyeballs, but as she pressed several fingers to the woman's neck she looked up over her shoulder, "She's still warm, Jane."

Jane shook her head sadly. "Patrol got here too late." Maybe that's where they went, she thought. What if the attacker was still here when they arrived? What if they chased him or her away from the scene? That might explain it. But then there would have been additional reports over the police radio… wouldn't there?

The doctor stood and turned to her friend, a frown creasing her brow, "I thought you said the original report was for a burglary?"

With her hands on her hips, the detective nodded, "I'm guessing they didn't expect to find her here." Observing the victim's sleepwear, she added, "Maybe she was in bed when someone broke in?"

The lights flashed on, and for a split second both women thought things were looking up despite the new homicide case they had just stumbled upon - their lunch plans with Barry and Vince were well and truly ruined now - but a breath later they were plunged back into darkness as the lights popped with a startling bang.

The women turned to each other as the front door started to rattle. They could hear the wind howling ferociously outside.

Scoffing, Jane raised one eyebrow and accused with a smile, "Thought you said the chances of this turning into a hurricane were minimal, Doctor Isles?!"

Maura rolled her eyes; Jane took such childish pleasure in twisting her words sometimes. "I'm a Medical Examiner, not a meteorologist, and what I said was… it couldn't **_be_** a hurricane because those storms form out at sea and move inland, this storm formation wasn't -"

"Nuh, sure feels like a hurricane to me," the brunette interrupted.

Maura shook her head with a small smile and snapped off her gloves; Jane never changed. She'd lectured over morning coffee about the difference between certain kinds of weather phenomena but evidently the detective was feeling in a funny mood today.

Even as Maura spoke her mind was elsewhere, "We're stuck here until CSRU arrive and we can get the body moved." She strained to hear, focusing on the storm, missing Jane's mumbled response although she saw the brunette take out her cellphone and try to make a call.

There was a whine that permeated the air, a shrill, ear-piercing whistle that was just barely audible. She assumed the detective couldn't hear it and watched in silence as Jane redialed, again and again, her face a picture of confusion and frustration.

Sighing, Jane snapped her cellphone back into its belt holster, "There's something wrong with my phone." She shucked a thumb over her shoulder, pointing back towards the foyer and the front door. "I'll go out to the car and use the radio."

Maura wanted to object, to ask Jane to stay indoors. It wasn't safe, she knew it, but there was something she couldn't put her finger on. They knew this storm was unlike any they'd seen in their lifetime when they'd set out this morning but the warnings alone weren't enough to keep them indoors. Cases didn't stop for thunder. Now, though… something seemed different.

As Jane turned to leave the wind picked up even more, wrenching the front door open and making their ears pop. A shadow obscured Maura's vision and something scraped across the glass of the living room window.

The two women stood side-by-side looking out towards the street as the lightning started, the first few flashes revealing a large tornado funnel in full view.

Maura's jaw dropped open and both women's eyes grew wide and glassy as Jane breathed quietly, "Holy shit!"

Maura looked on in awe, her brain connecting the dots; this is why things didn't make sense - the power, the phone, the whine. She swallowed a tremulous gulp, "Th-there hasn't been a tornado in Boston for more than sixty years."

Still staring out of the window, flashes of light lit up Maura's face as Jane turned to look at the doctor's profile, "Um, I think we need to go."

Oblivious to her friend, the blonde leaned forwards, "Fascinating."

The front door was about to come off its hinges as the rest of the house started to shake around them. Gripping the doctor's arm, Jane turned her friend back to face the room. With her gaze sweeping the floor, frantically locating the blonde's medical bag, she tugged with some force, "Maura, we have to get out of here now."

The doctor bent down again and proceeded to take things out of the case where Jane had expected her to pack things away.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just going to take some samples."

Jane rubbed her forehead with a shaking hand. She hated the thought of abandoning the scene for the second time but maybe the patrol guys had had the right idea and left the area before it got too dangerous. She understood Maura's process to a point but it wasn't worth their lives.

"I'll just be a minute," the doctor muttered.

Trying to grab the doctor by the elbow, but getting shucked off, Jane yelled, "No, Maura. NOW!"

As the blonde looked up at her with a scowl, an ear-piercingly loud burst blew in the window, showering them both in shards of glass. Jane yanked her to her feet and they stumbled across the room.

The din was almost unbearable now, the screeching, howling pressure making it hard to hear Maura's protests. "We have to preserve the evidence!"

Shoving the smaller woman into a hallway closet the detective shouted, "If we don't take cover right now **_we_** are going to be evidence!"

Fear forgotten and still protesting, the blonde tried to push her way back to the living room, "We have to secure the body, Jane."

"Just leave her!" Jane screamed. "There's nothing you can do!"

But the medical examiner was already fussing with some bungee ties she had taken from her kit bag.

What was she thinking? What was she expecting them to accomplish? As Jane squinted at the scene out of the window, the monster was bearing down on them, it's dust cloud obscuring the entire street, larger pieces of debris sweeping through the front yard at high speed.

Shrapnel and pieces of scrap bombarded the house, some of the vicious projectiles coming in through the broken window. A heart-wrenching noise, the sound of wood joints creaking, straining against their metal fixtures, made Jane stop breathing. She watched, like it was happening in slow motion as her car lifted from the ground outside and was flipped out of sight. As the outer skin of the house was shredded, torn away piece by piece, leaving the straining frame of the house open to the onslaught of the growing beast, she snapped.

Grabbing the doctor around the waist, she forcibly hauled her friend off her feet, almost over her shoulder and rushed back to the closet. The M.E. was dumped unceremoniously inside and fell down onto her butt as the front of the house suddenly surrendered and flew away in chunks.

Holding her hands over her ears, with wildly swirling hair stinging her face, Maura watched in shock as Jane braced herself against the closet doorframe. It would be a squeeze for the two of them in there but they would fit snugly. The moment stretched on forever with the blonde barely daring to breathe, as her best friend struggled against the pull of the funnel.

Trying to anchor herself with one hand and reach out with the other, tears began to roll down her face of their own accord. Why wasn't Jane moving? Something heavy and sharp hit the back of the closet door, embedding itself through the wood and a second later Maura screamed as the door slammed closed and her fingertips found air instead of the detective's warm hand. "Jane! JAAAAANE!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm aware that certain aspects of this story are unrealistic in a world where most people employ a modicum of common sense, so thank you for your positive comments and encouragement anyway!** **Gold star to Duvetsnuggler who was first to spot the inspiration as the real tornado that hit Revere, MA earlier this year. The rest is still just fictional fun!**

**Thank you to Orison for beta reading this!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<strong>

In the seconds that followed, Maura was slammed against the internal wall of the closet before being pelted by the swirling contents that were, until a moment ago, neatly stored on shelves above her head.

As the wind subsided, whistling away in a direction that the doctor could not see, debris hitting the floor as it floated down around her, she continued to huddle on the ground in the fetal position.

She waited as long as her patience could stand it, before frantically pushing boxes, splintered wood, trash and other detritus from her torso. As she sat up, the blonde inhaled a great gulp of air, trying to stem the hyperventilation that had forcefully overtaken her.

It was no use.

The blonde's heart galloped as she gasped with horror. Surveying the scene, her head twisted left and right and her eyes focused erratically as she continued to breathe raggedly, desperately.

A large part of the house was gone. Taking Jane with it.

All but a few internal walls, including part of the closet, remained. The wooden closet door had been torn off and was, she noticed as she tried to move, now pinning her feet. With a little effort she freed herself and tried to get up. There would be numerous bruises covering her pale body for sure, but a cursory check of palms brushed over limbs, torso and the back of her head found her without serious injury.

Picking herself up, the doctor struggled to find any clear ground on which to stand and teetered for a moment on her high heels as her ringing ears did nothing to aide her balance. Most people might have called her silly for not removing her shoes given the circumstances, but there was no telling how much broken glass and rubble she would have to step on; bare feet would only invite unnecessary injury.

Stumbling through the wreckage, leaning a hand occasionally on something that might have once been a piece of furniture, she made her way across the destroyed plot towards the street.

Looking up to the sky, Maura found it still grey but much lighter now, marred by white streaks that marked the churning wake of the funnel. As she stared, analysing, squinting, she could almost pinpoint the exact spot where the cone had lost all its power and dissipated back into the clouds above.

The ringing in her ears had turned into a low, booming clamour and she shook her head as if trying to knock it loose. Just then, Korsak and Frost came running up, picking their way through the debris-strewn front yard.

Frost caught the petite medical examiner from the side, gripping her by the elbow, just as her ankle rolled and she lost her footing.

A second later, Korsak was shaking her by the biceps, pushing his way into the doctor's hazy vision, pleading for all he was worth, "Where's Jane? Maura? MAURA! Where's Jane?"

oOo

Sirens rang as the two detectives rummaged through the remains of the house, lifting the largest pieces that could conceivably cover a person and hide them from view.

Rubbing dirty hands down the front of his trousers, Frost asked, "Where was the last place you saw her, Maura?"

Pointing firmly towards what was left of the center of the house, her arm outstretched, the doctor shouted, "There! She was right there!" She was frantic as she scanned the area, her body twisting at the hips, shaking hands stroking over her forehead and then temples, before disappearing into her tangled hair. "She was right there," she whispered, her voice and her heart breaking simultaneously.

Trying to form a picture of what had happened moments before they arrived, Korsak quizzed, "Were you together in the house?"

Panic and guilt suffused Maura's heavy limbs as she breathed, "Yes. I was… I was trying to save the body. It's my fault, its…I -"

Astonished, Frost's voice rose an octave, "You risked your life for a dead body?"

"It was evidence," Maura reasoned with a sniffle.

Korsak bent down to lift a piece of drywall, his legs spread awkwardly to avoid several ragged pieces of jutting metal, as he heard a feint groan. Finding the body of his former partner, he yelled, "She's here! Over here!"

The younger detective and the medical examiner were at Korsak's side in a heartbeat, helping to move pieces of rubble, revealing Jane's stunning dark curls in seconds.

"Jane?" the doctor pleaded. "Oh, thank God, Jane, can you hear me? Jane!"

"Here, help me with this," Frost rumbled, straining to lift what looked like another door along with the load of other items it carried on its surface.

The lanky woman continued to moan and groan, her eyes closed but eyelids fluttering, as they hauled the piece off her.

"Oh, god," Frost breathed, surprised to find Jane still pinned, not by remnants of the shattered construction, but by the body of a woman. Face down and bleeding, the woman didn't appear to be breathing, and the young man guessed she was probably what had brought Jane snooping around this address in the first place.

Pumped full of adrenaline, the dizziness and nausea that might normally turn the young detective's legs to jelly never materialized and for that he was very thankful. Given the gravity of the situation, it wouldn't do for him to be semi-conscious, too.

Maura knelt down as close as she could to Jane's head to check her over as the men continued moving debris to make more room. She swept dark hair out of her face, pressed an ear close to her mouth, and checked her pulse, muttering all the while as the detective coughed, spluttered, and opened her eyes. _You're okay, sweetheart. You'll be fine. It's all over. You're alive._

It occurred to Maura that of all the situations they had found themselves in, accidentally or otherwise in the past, this really had been a very close call. She welled up at the thought of losing her best friend so suddenly and a lump grew in her throat, halting the soft words of comfort.

Suddenly, Jane grumbled angrily and Maura couldn't help let out a teary laugh, "Get her off'a me!"

The men wasted no time grabbing a wrist and an ankle, turning the woman over onto her back to Jane's side, freeing her in the process and allowing Maura to get closer.

There was a lot of blood, most of it smeared over Jane's torso and the medical examiner could only pray that none of it belonged to the detective. She didn't think twice about running her hands over Jane's body, assessing, feeling, searching for any signs of injury. A bullet passing through her best friend's abdomen was bad enough; impalement was a real possibility in these situations and the colour drained from the blonde's face as she bore the thought.

Jane surprised her by sitting up slightly, ignoring the doctor's protests that she needed to make sure she was unhurt before she tried to move. "I'm okay," she whispered, grabbing the smaller woman's wrist, running her thumbs over trembling skin. "I'm okay, Maura. I'm okay, I promise."

The brunette's soft, husky tone smashed through Maura's compromised resolve and the detective caught her in strong arms as the blonde fell into her, sobbing, clutching hands grabbing at her clothing, anchoring them together. Through tangles of dark hair, she whispered, "I thought I'd lost you."

Korsak and Frost stood silently, patiently looking the other way, breathing heavily with relief and exertion, allowing the women to have their moment.

Feeling much calmer, the blonde released her friend and sat back, allowing Jane her turn to fuss. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked, stroking a hand over the back of Maura's head, across her shoulder and down her arm. Nothing was more important to her in that moment and she knew in her gut that something had irreversibly changed between them.

"I'm fine," Maura smiled, reaching a hand to cup Jane's cheek. "I'm fine. You saved me."

Grinning, Jane winked, "It's not my first time." She tried to sit up further and winced immediately, wrapping an arm around her torso.

"What do you remember?" the doctor asked, still trying to determine possible injuries.

"Flying," the brunette snorted. "Then being slammed into something." She squinted, realising the next memory was of waking up and hearing someone shouting her name. She inhaled sharply and winced again at the feel of Maura's fingers pressing into her abdomen, before breathing out heavily. "Nothing after that."

Maura waved a hand at Frost, gesturing for him to come around Jane's other side, and the two helped the brunette to stand. "You might have a couple of broken ribs and a concussion. You'll have to get checked out."

"I'll live," she grumbled, managing to hold herself up but still cradling a forearm across her ribs.

There were a couple of tiny cuts on her brow but for the most part, with the exception of her bird's nest hair and blood-smeared shirt, Jane looked like she always did. She met Korsak's eyes and smiled, her expression full of gratitude that they had come to her rescue.

Screwing his face up, Frost gestured towards Jane's red chest. "Is that, um…?" he trailed off.

"Oh, it's not mine." Pointing absently at the victim, she explained, "We found her dead at the scene."

The older man scoffed, shaking his head disbelievingly, "Picked up by an F-2 and you've got a couple of scratches. When we get out of here you should buy a lottery ticket. It's your lucky day, Rizzoli."

Jane couldn't help a lazy chuckle as Frost clapped her on the back; lucky was an understatement and she knew it. It only took a second before all three of them were laughing lightly together, feeling fortunate to be in one piece.

Maura's silence drew Jane's attention though and the detective turned to find the blonde leaning over the dead woman. "We didn't lose her after all, Maura," she cheered. Knowing the doctor would have to rule out any effects from the tornado before they started looking for answers, she asked, "Will there be any issues with the evidence?"

"You could say that," the doctor replied cryptically. Looking up at the three detectives as they peered at her expectantly, she explained, "This isn't our victim." Moving her gaze to meet each set of wide eyes, finally landing on the brunette, she added, "This isn't the woman we found in the house."


End file.
